A LO O K BA C K
30TH ANNI V ERSARY O F N RRTS
‘WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?’ In 1995, Simon Margolis was elected president of NRRTS. He wrote this article to capture the climate and current state of the seating and mobility industry. He wrote it to inspire us all to get on the NRRTS bandwagon and to do more. This article reads like it was written only yesterday. If we use Simon's thoughts and words and spirit and vision, we can make a difference … the difference that was his dream; a dream that’s in us all. INTRODUCTION COURTESY OF GERRY DICKERSON, ATP, CRTS®
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
SO, WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? In a nutshell — access does not mean reimbursement. The RTS is cast as heavy, the gatekeeper who must tell the consumer, yes, this technology is covered by your policy, but the reimbursement is too low to cover the cost of the product. Problems upon problems. Major change upon major change.
WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?
Our first instinct is a knee-jerk reaction, which leads to panic-driven activity that serves no purpose and gets us nowhere. The next reaction is usually the “woe is me” approach accompanied by whining and complaining to everyone who will listen. We quickly find out no one cares.
Everywhere I go, everyone I talk to is concerned. Translate that to scared.
There is an answer — at least for rehabilitation technology suppliers.
All over the country, providing rehabilitation technology is changing. Companies are merging, rehabilitation engineering and technology centers are closing, key people are changing jobs … change, change and more change.
Before I propose the answer, I want to ask you a question.
On top of this add changes in funding structures and payment schedules. Even avoiding the politically charged issues surrounding Medicare and Medicaid, there is perception among most RTSs there will be less money available to provide service to consumers with disabilities.
Do you have a professional mission statement for yourself? Do you have a set of convictions, values, morals — a way you view the world that is unchanging regardless of the situation? Do you make your professional and personal decisions based on these values, or do you respond based on your emotional reaction?
(REPRINTED FROM NRRTS NEWS, FALL 1995, VOLUME III IN HONOR OF THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF NRRTS.)
Compounding the problem are the efforts of rehabilitation technology manufacturers. These folks, as good businesspeople should, are developing new products using more advanced technology. Consumers are more informed than ever and want this new technology. The funding levels available and the contracted fee structure with HMOs and other managed care groups puts the RTS in a major bind. The consumer wants and needs this new technology. The manufacturer can provide it, and very often the consumer’s health care plan, Medicare, Medicaid, HMOs, etc. covers the technology.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Regardless of your answer to these questions, there is one constant I ask you to consider. Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. The world of rehabilitation technology is changing. It will probably never again be as it was. If you have a career commitment to being a professional rehabilitation technology supplier, you have to adapt to change. This revolutionary process of change is not within your sphere of influence. Face it! You can’t do anything about it.
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